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Runner’s World October 2006
By Jeff Galloway

The Starting Line

Shifting Up- Workouts to help you accelerate.
Each of these workouts will teach you how to speed up at any point in a run or race. Do one of these workouts every week for steady improvement.

1. After 10 minutes of easy running, speed up slightly for 10 steps, increase the pace a bit more for 10 steps, and make a final increase for 10 steps, followed by a gradual “glide” as you coast off your momentum for 20 to 30 steps. Jog for a minute and repeat the pattern, counting 15 steps for the faster segments. After another one-minute jog, try the pattern one more time, doing 20 steps for each acceleration.

2. Run 10 easy minutes to the base of a small hill with a very gradual downhill side. Walk to the top, turn around, and count 40 to 50 steps back down. Start your first hill acceleration there: Jog for 10 to 20 steps, then pick up the pace as you to the hill. Increase your turnover and let gravity pull you down the other side. Walk or jog back to the starting point and repeat. Start with two hills and slowly work up to six.

3. Go to a track. After 10 minutes of slow jogging, run easy for ¼ of a lap, increase the pace for the next ¼ of a lap, and run fast (but not all out) for another ¼ lap. Then ease down to a jog to finish the lap. Recover by walking for half a lap and repeat the series. Start with two laps and work up to six.

THE EXCUXE (and how to beat it)
Running is too tiring.
When done right, a run should actually energize your day. Here’s how to ensure that your runs create energy instead of sapping it.
1. Ease into it. Most of the runners I work with who complain about fatigue start their workouts too fast. Extend your warmup, especially on days when you are feeling tired. First walk for three to five minutes, then run a minute and walk a minute for 10 minutes.
2. Break early and often. Regular one-minute walk breaks help keep fatigue at bay. Start them from the beginning of the run and take them throughout-as often as every two to three minutes.
3. Fuel up. Eating a high-carbohydrate snack like an energy bar an hour or two before your run will help keep your blood-sugar level-and your energy level- high. Some runners also like to take an energy gel with them, ingesting small doses of it every mile or so.

Q+A
Q: I have a hard time getting back into running after walk breaks. Any advice?
A: To ensure smooth transitions, you need to start taking walk breaks during the first few minutes of a run. If you run several miles before walking, your muscles are already tired and will not rebound from the break with as much energy.

You also need to adjust your form as you go into and out of the breaks. Get a watch that can be programmed to beep at set intervals. When it first beeps, don’t suddenly stop running. Instead, ease into walking as you decelerate over a number of steps. As you walk, keep your stride short. At the end of the break, continue with a short stride and gradually increase your turnover until you have resumed running.